Anatomy of a Web Site_________________________
Click on the images below to view an interactive anatomy of web page and site elements. Boxes will appear as your cursor rolls over elements with an explanation of their name, purpose and design.

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Index or Home Page
Where your web site begins. Make this a really creative introduction to your site. Draw visitors into your site with inviting graphics, photos, and of course your logo. Should have very little text to distract from the main purpose -- presenting your site to visitors -- and the main pages of your site should be linked thorough this page, allowing visitors easy access to areas of interest. This is also the page most search engines will access, and by using invisible keywords or descriptions in the meta tag code of this page you can define your site for the search engines and increase your chances of appearing in a search.

 

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Main Site Pages
These are pages that are linked to your index or home page. Each page should be clearly and attractively titled with the name of the page you are visiting -- you want visitors to now they are on the "basket" page. The information on these pages will help visitors determine where to go by offering links to individual topics or products.

These pages should introduce a common navigation bar that will be used throughout the site to provide an easy, familiar way of accessing all the areas of your site. Sub page links can be added to the navigation bar on individual main site pages as necessary.

You'll also want to include your Logo, phone number, address and any other information that you want visitors to have easy access to. This information can be included in a footer at the bottom of the page.

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full size, interactive page
in separate window.

Sub Site Pages
These are pages that are linked to your main site pages. They usually contain more detailed information than the main site pages. For instance, viewers visit this page from the "basket" main page. It offers information on how to choose a basket size and shape.

Page header and navigation bar are the same as on the main site pages to make it easy to find your way back to the "basket" page and other areas of your site.

Most sites will end at the main or sub-page level. Although, if you would like to present your complete catalog online, the site structure could extent to several additional level. In that instance careful consideration is needed in setting up the structure of the site to make it as easy as possible for viewers to find what they want. If your site becomes this large you may want to offer a keyword search option for your site.